Man faced aggravated rape charge

A 37-year-old Columbia man is behind bars here, charged with aggravated statutory rape of a 17-year-old Marshall County girl.

Lewisburg Police Department Detective James L. Johnson was called to the jail in late December to talk with an inmate who told him about the couple's sexual relationship.

Johnson's report states he confronted the girl, who confirmed she was 17, and gave him a written statement. The girl's stepmother told the detective that the man, named in the report as James Eugene Maples, had "been living here since November."

Johnson reports that he then put Maples' information into a database and "found he had a mitimus (warrant of commitment) out of Maury County to serve six months."

Patrol officers picked Maples up on this warrant and transported him to the Marshall County Jail.

"I made contact with Maples at the Marshall County Sheriff's Department and advised him of his rights," Johnson wrote in his report. "Maples waived his right to a lawyer and agreed to talk to me...Maples confessed to having a sexual relationship with (the juvenile) since Nov. 12, 2008."

Bond is set at $60,000, and Maples is due in General Sessions Court on Tuesday, Jan. 27.

The Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-13-506 (2007) defines "aggravated statutory rape" is the unlawful sexual penetration of a victim by the defendant, or of the defendant by the victim when the victim is at least 13 but less than 18 years of age and the defendant is at least 10 years older than the victim. It is a Class D felony, punishable by two to 12 years incarceration and a fine up to $5,000 (Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-35-111 (2007).